Although a captivating, intriguing and fascinating account of life on the western frontier from the 1830's through 1870's, one has to question how much of this is fabrication for his own self esteem. While describing his life as a trapper, trader, Indian fighter, scout, guide, freighter, road builder, stagestop operator, etc., Wootton portrays himself somewhat as a braggart and egotistical individual. He does not hesitate to tell his readers how he "could find water better than anyone else"; "shoot better than anyone else"; one of the first to take sheep from New Mexico to California; first to put through a toll road in Colorado; had the first two story building in Denver; the list goes on. If half of what he said is true, so be it. Wootton's book is very good reading and it does depict life extremely well for those days, but at the same time, he seems to be desirous of being the main, most important character for the times represented.

Proably the best Alex Delaware mystery since..... Well, at least since before the disastorous THE WEB. Kellerman must know he needs to do something, and this one has a new idea -- it features Milo in individual third-person scenes. And truth to tell, Milo comes off a lot better than Alex, who you really see as annoying and hard-headed.

In this one, Alex is sent a book of crime scene photogrpahs. One of them is from Milo's first, still unsolved, case. Milo is still troubled by it. Alex has time on his hands, so they're off on another adventure, involving the old murder, and its massive cover-up by the rich and powerful.

Much of the plot, which goes on at least a hundred pages too long (when did they stop editing Kellerman?) revolves around the paranoia of conspiracy and cover-up. If you believe that the execution-style slaying of an LAPD Internal Affairs officer could be concealed to the extent that the LA TIMES wouldn't even mention it, and that even LA cops wouldn't know about it, than maybe this will be OK with you, but rational minds will have a problem with it.

The chronology is forced and wrong. This is supposed to be a twenty-year old murder, but if Milo was a young detective three years out of Vietnam, it would have to be closer to thirty. and the aging problem of series characters has now taken over this series. Milo and Alex have to be pushing 60. Hard to place Alex as a romantic lead anymore; Milo has got to be well past LAPD retirement age for his grade.

And is this the kind of book that will bring new readership to the series? Will new readers thrill as Alex does a Google search? Will they hold their breath while Milo searches court records and calls DMV? Will they on be edge of their seat while Alex reads microfilmed newspapers in the library? Will they be cringing as Milo pours maple syrup on chocolate chip peanut butter pancakes.

Will please fans more than most recent outings; a great beach book.

After a few years of Jonathon Kellerman experimenting with form, trying to expand the Delaware horizons, and exploring specific themes with some mixed results, he seemed to be getting back to basics in his last outing, Flesh & Blood, and has really regained his stride with this offering, The Murder Book.

The 16th in the Alex Delaware series, and Kellerman has caught his second wind and this story is a real page-turner and barn- burner! Kellerman is still playing with form, this time alternating between Alex Delaware's 1st person narrative, and a major portion of the book a 3rd person telling from his pal, Det. Milo Sturgis', point-of-view. He thereby gives us a deeper look at both Milo and Alex as we see Delaware from his friend's perspective.

Nice to see an author's interest and invigoration in a book so far down the line in a series. AND, the mystery and plot is a corker with Alex and Milo working a 20 year old case and uncovering really rotten people in the Hills of Beverly and Belair. Plenty of evil and fireworks.

Alex Delaware finally realizes what we have known all along. He isn't a police "consultant" because he likes to exercise his apptitude and training in psychology. He does it because he is an adrenaline junky and gets off on the danger! His beloved Robin has realized this and she has split. Permanently? More will be revealed.

Having hooked in to Kellerman many years ago, I had found several of the later books interesting, but lacking the bite and visceral grab of the earlier works. Well, Jonathon is back, full stroke, and I can't wait for the next Delaware novel. Five stars for this one, for Kellerman fans, of course.

Los Angeles psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware is stunned to receive the binder containing grisly police photographs of crime scenes with an outside logo, "THE MURDER BOOK". He shows his "gift" to his friend, long term police veteran Detective Milo Sturgis, who is equally shocked by the book, but one particular picture haunts him. The book includes the picture of one of his first cases, the mutilated body of Hollywood High student Janie Ingalls, killed two decades ago.

Milo remembers that as a rookie he was teamed with veteran Pierce Schwinn, but as they began to put the case together, they were removed. Milo believs his first detective partner sent the book in order to tease the duo into investigating the cold case. Milo and Alex follow a trail that takes back to high society, a place where Schwinn reached twenty years ago before they were yanked off the investigation, but the trail remains frozen though the duo methodically progress one slow clue at a time.

THE MURDER BOOK is a powerful police procedural that is the best Delaware tale in several years. The story line absorbs the audience with the systematic scrutiny of the evidence one ugly step at a time. The support cast is abundant and overwhelming at times, but the lead sleuthing couple keeps things in perspective and provides the bonus of seeing Milo as a tyro. Jonathan Kellerman, who has a mantelpiece filled with deserving awards, may have his SHAMUS this time.

Harriet Klausner

Never mind the film versions; the original unabridged Swiss Family Robinson is an exciting epic with a lot in it for the whole family.

Our third grade teacher read to us from this book every day and I could hardly wait for the next installment. Finally I got my own copy for a birthday gift, sat on the couch and read it cover to cover in one go. I still have this book, decades later.

From the opening, thrilling tempest scene to the very end and the "rescue", this book has plenty of action as well as creative solutions to problems. There is a lot of material for discussion, how the family solved problems, how they handled disagreements, adversity, disappointment, building of character.

This book definitely teaches values along with the adventure and the values are linked in such a way as to be an integral part of the story.

And Swiss Family Robinson is never boring. There is always an exciting new beast to be discovered, a new plant to use for food or clothing, a new machine or tool to be built, a new part of the island to explore. This is a wonderful book to read out loud to kids until they are old enough to enjoy reading it themselves. If you are bored with re-runs on TV, turn off the box and spend a half-hour or hour every evening reading this aloud. Everyone will have a great time, and kids who are read to, become readers themselves.

There's not many classic books that are more well known than "The Swiss Family Robinson." A Swiss family is stranded on an uninhabited island and there doesn't seem to be any rescues that are lingering around the corner for many years. Soon the family is taming tons of new pets, fighting off animals such as anacondas and lions, and learning how to basically survive off the land the best they can. The Robinson family must keep an eye out for danger while also starting a whole new way of life for themselves.

I thought "The Swiss Family Robinson" was a spectacular adventure/survival book. You can say that the book is pretty much a long diary that is kept by the father of the family of everything that happens to them on the island. The book I read did have many references to God unlike some of the abridged editions. The only thing I didn't like about "The Swiss Family Robinson" is that when the family starts collecting and taming many animals that they find on the island, it gets a little tough to keep up with all the animals' names, but that wasn't bad enough to take anything away from the book for me.

I recommend anybody who likes survival or adventure books, especially if you like reading the classics, to get "The Swiss Family Robinson." I would recommend getting an unabridged version of the book if you can so you won't miss a word.

But let's be clear right up front. My 5-star rating of this book applies only to the original unabridged version in Johann Wyss' own words. The modernized versions are watered down, time-wasters for word wusses.

When I was nine years old I spent months struggling through this book for the first time. The old style language made for rough going, but I persevered. In the end I was rewarded with more than a classic tale marvelously told; I discovered a love of books and earned self-respect for tackling a tough read.

If I was a teacher whose task it was to introduce students to classic literature, I would skip Dickens and use this book. Kids love adventure, animals, and action. Swiss Family Robinson has it all. It's really a thriller disguised as a literary classic. All book lovers should read this one at least once.

And please don't watch the Disney movie and claim you've "been there, did that" on this story. The movie is totally different and in no way compares.

I have read all of Jonathan Kellerman's books and this one is the most boring of the bunch. He takes forever to get to the point. His characters are bland and I don't care anymore about his love interest with Robin, which takes up half of the book. He needs to get on with his life. The mystery part and conclusion take up the last 5 chapters and even that is no mystery and not even exciting. I just wanted the book to end and it seemed like it never would. The book just kept driving around Hollywood and stopping at bars and street signs. I feel like I could drive in Hollywood according to J. Kellerman's directions. Too predictable.

Jonathon Kellerman continues to try to find new approaches to his long-running Alex Delaware series. Last time he spent half the book on a 3rd person profile of Alex's friend Det. Milo Sturgis, with the other half the regular 1st person Alex Delaware narrative.

This time out he again uses 3rd person narrative for part of the book, this time delineating the activities and further exploring the personality of Petra Connor the Hollywood detective of Kellerman's "Billy Straight". Petra has a new partner, the enigmatic Eric Stahl, and they are involved in working a murder case that becomes linked to one Milo & Alex are working. Someone is killing creative types, a musician & painter for openers, in acts that can only be described as ultimate criticism (and Jonathon gets to take a swipe or two at the mentality of the talentless wannabe). No offense to us Amazon critics, I hope.

This time out, I found the mystery revealed to me earlier than usual, but it may not be for everyone. Nevertheless, the details of the unraveling are still worthwhile, and Kellerman is still busy fleshing out his characters. Alex has lost his Robin, but has a new love interest. We are becoming more familiar with Petra and new dimensions are being added and her new partner presents a new character with depths and secrets that will probably mean some new Petra book down-the-line. Hope so anyway.

Always a pleasurable read, Kellerman doesn't break new ground here, but continues the life of his characters with some new wrinkles. And while this isn't his best, I always look forward to the new Delaware and hope to see a new Petra/Eric book sometime in the future. 3-1/2 for this one.

The style of A Cold Heart brought back memories of Billy Straight which was the book that got me hooked on Jonathan Kellerman. I last read The Murder Book and was disappointed with its plodding style but not with this one. The sharp, quick action moves along at good clip and yet still adds descriptions which create vivid pictures in the mind. This story brings together all the characters in the other books and weaves them around a case which is solved by their cooperative work. I finished it in two sittings and was sorry it was over. This is my idea of a good read. I am glad there is a new love interest for Delaware finally. The on again, off again business with Robin was getting very boring. I look forward now to what ever comes next. Thanks, Mr. Kellerman for a good story, well told.

Storyline is bizarrely fantastical and not especially entertaining. Sexual content is also bizarre, focusing on sadistic use of enemas and the like. Not nearly as sexy as earlier volumes. Save your cash.

This book has a decent storyline, but what makes it so excellent is the pictures and brilliant color. Someof manara's books dont have color, but this one has very good color. There is some perverted stuff which is great too.

This book was soooo great! The great blend of hard and soft core is quite refreshing. milo uses his traditional way of art to create a complex plot with wonderfully detailed erotic pictures. It did a great job!

You start this book with no concept that it's going to go to one of the most reprehensible areas of humanity--eugenics. But Kellerman handles this with great finesse and holds us spellbound right up to the end. Dr. Alex Delaware gets better and better with each book. And now we have a new hero, Daniel Sharavi, who makes a repeat appearance here and certainly warrants future books of his own. Kellerman continues to provide meaty, exciting thrillers with a very human quality that doesn't let you put the book down until you've lived each and every line right along with his heroes and heroines. This is a great one and well worth the time spent. It also leaves us pondering the ethics and morality involved and wondering if it's fiction or a very real dilemma of the very real world we live in.

After a couple of disappointing books, Jonathon Kellerman is back in top form in his latest: "Survival of the Fittest". This book is a real page turner: a fast-paced, strong plot and interesting characters. All of the regulars are in the book - Alex Delaware, Milo Sturgis, Robin, and, of course, Spike. The reparte between Milo and Alex is as enjoyable as ever.

The book mixes serial murders with international intrigue. The (re)introduction of an Israeli police inspector (a character in a non-Alex Delaware Kellerman novel) made for some interesting interaction between the inspector and Milo. I hope that we see this character again in some future book.

It seems that in the recent past, Mr. Kellerman's books have all had sexual depravity as the motivating factor. It was a refreshing relief to read a book that was able to keep the reader's interest without strong sexual content. Keep up the good work, Mr. Kellerman. I am sure that there are many other interesting, nonsexual psychological theories and problems that would make fascinating premises for your future books.

I have liked all of Jonathan Kellerman's books but I would have to say that this one is now my favorite. This book has it all, it is exciting, thrilling, intelligent and very chilling. Kellerman brings back a hero from one of his earlier non-Deleware books (The Butcher's Theater), Daniel Sharavi. He along with a skeptical Milo and Alex try to solve a horrible murder of the daughter of an Israeli diplomat. Kellerman's characters are so well drawn and his attention to detail is as always superb! If you like a fast moving thriller this book is one of the best!
Ree-views

Jonathan Kellerman's mysteries sell well and he's gotten some good reviews, at least that is what I recalled when my daughter gave me "The Clinic" recently. Unfortunately, the reputation does not translate for me into an enjoyable read. Lots and lots of talk, some of which could have been cut or put into exposition, bogs down the narrative. Some interesting psychological insights from Dr. Alex Delaware about the characters involved, but although some suspense is generated, the overall effect is more like a thud, rather than a splash. Kellerman apparently believes that each character must be described in considerable detail, but without providing any insights into the character through dialogue and action, the descriptions are useless. He also describes with some detail some of the settings. But again the writing is so, well, pedestrian that there is no evocative rush from the descriptions. Maybe Kellerman is better in other books. One hopes so.

Jonathan Kellerman's "The Clinic" was a very inspiring book to read. His books are long, but when you start reading it, time just flies by and you don't want to put it down. This is one of the first books that I have read by Jonathan Kellerman and I'm sure it won't be my last. In "The Clinic" the book gives great detail in many things, while Alex & Milo try to solve who killed author/professor Hope Devane. The book is a very good book to read and I suggest for everyone to read it, because you won't be disappointed.

The Clinic is the first Kellerman book I have read. Just finished it, and am left wondering why Kellerman didn't follow up on the whereabouts of the doctor (Cruvic). Is there no justice for him? Overall, the plot had a steady pace and makes the reader want to know the next link in the chain of evidence/next character's role in the mystery. I look forward to the next Kellerman and would recommend The Clinic as a first-time crime/mystery read.

I think Milo Manara is one of the best illustrators. In Italy I found all of Manara's works, and - in my opinion - "Click 4" is one of the worst comics of his production.
We have no plot. Nothing about the mood of Manara's "Click 1"...
Do you want to know the real great Manara? Buy "Butterscotch" or "Click1", or "Indian Summer"...

I read the click 1 is very good.I read the click 2 is very good to the.now i buy click 3.I LIKE MILO MANARA'S BOOK very much.

My second Manara book, after Guilivera, is deliciously funny, witty and really sexy! You'll blush adn laugh in disbelief of what Clauia gets herself into. I rooted at the main character and closed my eyes a few times, in suspence, .Great art and a funny story!

Jonathan Kellerman is a good writer. The Alex Delaware series used to be good, which keeps me coming back hoping it would be good again. This is still not happening.

All the recent Delaware novels have followed the same pattern. Delaware is presented with a mystery, he goes from person to person talking to them with a minimal amount of action, and finally there is a scene which presents some danger to Delaware as the murderer is revealed. In this case, Delaware doesn't really even solve the mystery but instead stumbles onto the killer, a minor character who physically appears in less than ten pages before the end.

The big flaw is that Delaware has become a non-character, more of an observer than an actual personality. Even Kellerman's attempts to create a little personal tension in Delaware's love life fail because Robin is also a non-character. She basically has had walk-on roles in the past few books, and here her appearance isn't much greater (she hardly appears at all in the first half of the book).

Kellerman still has talent, as evidenced in Billy Straight, but here he fails. I suppose he could revamp Alex, but that may actually be rather jarring. It would probably be better to start a new series altogether. Kellerman has enough marketability that he could easily do this. In the meanwhile, if you must read a Kellerman book, read one of his wife's instead: her series is actually getting better with time.

I love kellerman's alex delaware novels, have read just about all of them. One of the best things about them is the way he covers the map in L.A., every street, every neighborhood, all kinds of people from all walks of life. Alex, with a power of observation that may rival sherlock holmes's, tells you every detail of what every person looks like, including what they are wearing. with some authors this is tedious, but kellerman really gets me to picture every scene as if i were there. The biggest flaw in this particular book was that certain famous people were so thinly disguised i thought i was reading something by dominick dunne. If any of these stories are based on something that really happened, it should be on people and events that are a little-less well-known. Also, i thought it was about time alex and robin's relationship had a reality check, he could have taken this even further. Through most of the books it's a continuous round of gourmet meals, fine wine, fabulous sex, no money worries, and perfect harmony. We should all be so lucky. Still, the story captured and held my interest, and i like the character of milo a lot. He helps carry this one.

Alex Delaware chalked up his attempt at helping a young, defiant, angry teenager by the name of Lauren Teague, as a failure when she walked out of his office and out of his professional life. Years later, Teague and Delaware meet at a stag party where Teague appears as the night's entertainment. However, the reunion is brief and short lived when her body turns up in a dumpster. Delaware, the avenging angel in pusuit of justice, is determined to find the person who committed the crime. He becomes so intensely involved in his mission that he risks losing Robin, the love of his life, and Miles, his best friend and co-worker.

Kellerman takes a walk through the wild, seedy side of life where pornography is king and call-girls are nothing more than a replaceable commodity. Kellerman's latest book is jam-packed with suspense from cover to cover. While his previous novel "Dr. Death" may be seen as somewhat of a disappointment to many readers, Kellerman redeems himself in this one. This is, without question, the Kellerman readers have come to know and admire; here we have Kellerman at his finest.

There was a time when I thought James Crumley would become the greatest writer the mystery genre ever produced, and achieve what Chandler only attained after his death, that is, literary respectability and recognition of his talents as a great novelist of contemporary fiction. Crumley had all the gifts a great writer needs - an engaging prose style, finely constructed plotting and a unique voice. And in his earlier book, The Last Good Kiss, he spun all those elements into a story that was intoxicating in it's brillance, a book truly worthy of comparison to the best of Chandler. But thats been more than 20 years ago now and Crumley has neither continued or built upon his earlier promise of greatness. Sure, he can still write a line so good so as to make your heart skip a beat, and he can be funny as hell, but it's in fits and starts and nothing ever comes of it all. Somewhere, somehow ,the discipline that could craft a book such as the Last Good Kiss has gone and we are left with the spectacle of a now undiciplined talent repeating himself to a lesser and lesser effect each time. If you want to read the real Crumley, read The Last Good Kiss or The Wrong Case and see what you've been missing, but don't read The Final Country - it just makes those of us who admired his earlier work sad.

Ask most of the young crime writers in America who they revere and the name Crumley will fall off almost every tongue. In a genre that rewards the fast and the dirty, where publishers throw money at sloppy writing and half-assed plotting, Crumley is a beacon of quality and thoughtfulness. The man cares about the language. What a radical notion for a writer of detective novels. In The Final Country, as in any of his books, you'll find sentences both sleek and rangy, but always beautiful, thought out, worked on. And those sentences come together to form a Voice as consistent and engrossing as any on the contemporary scene - inside or outside the genre. But wait, as the pitchmen say, there's more. You also get a plot as ingeniously assembled as Lamborghini Diablo. A red one. That runs on nitroglycerin. And this books moves as fast as the Diablo. But don't worry, Milo's got his arm around you the whole way, rapping up a coke-fueled storm that, should you listen, will give you a few gem about how an ethical man lives in a foul world. Listen: as long as James Crumley can draw breath and pick up a pen, TV just doesn't stand a chance.

Crumley is back (finally!)with another magnificently intricate tale featuring Milo Milodragovich, the crusty, humorous, cynical, superbly violent, but now aging, P.I. from Montana who migrated to the mythical Gatlin County, TX (suburb of Austin)in the "Bordersnakes" (1996) novel. Milo (now wealthy)is still all-cattle-and-no-hat as he sorts out a Texas size imbroglio of murder, lust, greed and betrayal.

"Final Country" is another Crumley treasure. You'll find there the lyrical quality to rival Chandler, the grit to rival Hammett, violence beyond Stark or Lansdale, and the unique Crumley philosophy of individualism and virtue. Crumley is one of the very few authors working in the P.I. genre who produces literary works with the quality of detail that will pleasure the reader not only on the first reading, but also on re-reading or even re-re-reading.